Welcome to The Sludgelord!
Presenting up to date news, reviews & interviews for riff addicts around the world.
This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'

Monday, 13 April 2015

Interview with Bantoriak

Bantoriak
have released one of the most trippiest debut albums of the year so
far with Weedooism. It's style of Stoner, Doom, Psychedelic Rock and
Drone will leave you in a trance. It's being released on our good
pals – Argonauta Records.

If
you're into Sleep, OM and Kyuss then this is the album for you. I
wanted to find more about the main man behind Bantoriak. I'm happy to
say that Izio – the genius behind Bantoriak has agreed to talk to
me at Sludgelord HQ.

Hi
Izio, How are things with you today. Thanks for doing this interview.

Thanks
for the interview.

We
are mainly here to talk about your new musical project – Bantoriak.
Can you tell our readers how this project came about?

Project
born by the will to express in a personal view, 30 years of listening
and passion for a different type of music genre.

What
inspired you to form Bantoriak as it’s a weird, trippy and
psychedelic wild ride?

Mostly
I get my inspiration from the sound of stoner/doom/psychedelic
bands, trying to create a personal sound mixing with ambient/drone
influences.

You’re
about to release your new album – Weedooism. Can you tell people
what to expect from this album.

In
my vision it's a trip through images which spark of emotions of a
human soul from Apollonian to Dionysian moods

Why
did you choose the name for – Weedooism – for the album? Any
specific meaning.

"Weedooism"
it's a combination between "Weed" and "Voodoo"
two kind of things that alter human perception , make the mind more
receptive and introspective.

Was
this a hard album to write and record for? As it’s a multi-layered
and complex album at times.

As
most of creative processes, Weedooism started from a rough idea too,
refined and stratified during studio sessions.

You
have a few special guests helping you out on the album. Was it easy
convincing the people to participate on the album? (Fabio is from
EREMITE, Rosy from Professional and Giacomo from ISAAK)

It
was a pleasure working with all of them , because i always
appreciated their own bands and their albums. When
I asked them to work together with me at Bantoriak they were
enthusiastic and they helped me so much to draw the album up.

Did
you write all the music and lyrics yourself or did you have help from
your friends on the album.

Bantoriak
was born like a one man band project , but without the artists who
helped me, Weedooismit would be not the same.

Weedooism
feels like an out of body experience where you’re kept in a trippy
state from the different noises and sounds you have created on the
album. Was that your intention to create something tribal, trippy and
psychedelic?

Yes,
my intention was to create a sound trip that passing through various
imaginary in one vision.

Which
bands and artists influenced you a musician. Any specific band or
album that stands out.

My
favourite artists that influenced me: OM, SLEEP, KYUSS, SUNN O)))

You’ve
probably read my review. Though the more I listen to the album I feel
this album is very personal to you. Especially on Lysergic Tantra. As
it brings a sense of reflection of remembering times in your youth.

Yes,
I read your review and I really enjoyed it, 'cause I think that you
have hit the essence of my work. In effect this is an album that
tells so much about me and Lysergic Tantra reflecting a part of me
and of my life story

You
have a weird and wonderful vocal style that’s very much your own
sound. Can you describe how you prepare to lay down vocal tracks in
the studio as it’s more of a tribal/chant style?

Thanks.
I'm fascinated by vocal techniques used in some rituals and ancient
cultures, so I just tried to put them inside my work. To obtain the
right voice and attitude you must have a good control of your breath
and a sort of ''spiritual'' mood.

What
is your musical setup when recording in the studio or playing live.
Is it an advanced or basic setup?

You’re
currently signed to Argonauta Records who are signing a ton of great
artists to their label. How did you hook up with Gero? Did you have
any other offers to release your record?

Argonauta
Records have a lot of interesting bands, so I already knew the label
for this reason. Giacomo (Isaak singer) suggested me to contact Gero,
who was interested to produce this album, so I never contacted other
labels.

Italy
has a well deserved reputation within the Sludge/Stoner Metal world
for providing us with great bands to check out. Ufomammut, Zippo and
Doomraiser amongst others. How is the Sludge/Stoner Metal scene
perceived in Italy?

Yes,
in Italy there are some cool bands but anyway it's an underground
scene that has a peak of popularity in the last years 'cause there
are a lot of bands in USA and Europe that play in a vintage attitude
.

Which
bands/albums are you currently enjoying at the moment? Any you like
to recommend to our readers.

I'm
listening to bands such as Eremite, Ape Skull, Vinum Sabbatum and the
new album from Eyehategod.

Can
you tell us what the long term plans for Bantoriak, Future tours or
albums? Can you see Bantoriak becoming a full time band with actual
band members? Or do you see it as a studio project at the moment.

Album
will be released on 13th April and some gigs will be confirmed soon.
Bantoriak has members who are live musicians and other stuff will be
released in the future but it's a project not a full time band at the
moment.

Thanks
to Gero at Argonauta Records at Barbara at NeeCee Agency for
arranging this interview. Thanks to Izio for taking the time out to
talk to us at Sludgelord HQ. Weedooism is available to buy from
Argonauta Records now and it's a great album to trip out to.

Band Submissions

To those bands who have recently issued their first demo or album via bandcamp and would like to be featured on our 666 Pack Review or considered for a full review or stream please contact Aaron via email including your EPK, band bio, album file or download code, including artwork.

To those bands issuing their sophomore record and so on and would like to be considered for a review or stream on the blog. Get in touch using the same address above

We will consider bands from any genre but exclusively stoner, sludge, doom, psych, post-metal, experimental, black-metal etc. (Whilst I would like to respond to every email, this is not always possible.) Thanks